Territory



(ModeL) J. J. THOMAS.

TONGUE SUPPORT.

Patented 001;. 24, 1882.

' ATTORNEYS.

Uwrran mares ATENT which.

JOHN J. THOMAS, ()F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

TONGUE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,401, dated October 24, 1882.

' Application filed July 19, 1882. (Model.)

.T 0 all whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, JOHN JEFFREYS THOMAS, of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Territory of Utah, have in vented a new and improved Tongue-Supporter for Wagons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a contrivance by which thehorses may berelieved of the weight of the tongue of the wagon, and

to arrange the contrivance so that it may be connected ordisconnected at will foruse or not, as required.

The invention consists essentially of a short lever located vertically in front of the axle and sand-board, with a strong spring behind the lower end, the upper end having a rod or bar connected to it, and extending along over and beyond the evener, where a locking device is provided for readily connecting it with the tongue when it is wanted to support it thereby, all as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of a tongue and part of the front running-gear of a wagon,

with my improved tongue-supporter attached. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the axle and sand-board along the reach, showing a side elevation of the lever and spring contrivance. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the axle, sandboard, and the lever contrivance. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the locking device, and Fig. 5 is an end elevation thereof. Fig.6 is a side view of the evener pivot-bolt.

I make a substantial bracket-frame, a, for the support of the lever b on a pivot, c, a little in front of the sand-board d and the axle 6, extending a curved bar, f, downward from said frame in such a. manner as not to interfere with the operation of the reach g, to form a brace to said frame, and also to support a studpin, it, which extends through the lower end of the lever b, and has a nut, i, to limit the forward swing of the lower end of said lever, and on which a strong spring, 9', is coiled,

which is to resist the thrust of thelever when said lever is connected with the tongue or, and thus support the weight of the tongue through the means of said lever, and a connecting'rod, k, pivoted to the upper end of the lever at I, and extending along beyond the evener m to a locking-block, n, with which the said rod It connects by the lugs or studs 0 on the slotted front end, running from the front end of said block along back under ledges p of the top past the gravity retaining-pawls q, into and down through passages a into grooves r, and against the shoulders 8, thus suspending the tongue on the spring, which gives to the front endof the tongue an elastic play that relieves it of the shocks it would be subject to if rigidly suspended. lhe block a is provided with other and longer grooves, t, into which the studs 0 of rod It may be shifted by lifting up said rod when it may be desired to let the tongue fall. To suspend the tongue again on the springs when hitching the horses on, needs only to raise the tongue until studs 0 will fall through spaces a, and then lower it until said studs slide back in the grooves 1'. The pawls (1 will prevent the rising of the tongue in such case so far as to allow the escape of the studs 0 altogether from the locking-block; but when said studs are in the grooves r they can be entirely disconnected from the block by lifting the tongue, as they will then strike the lower ends of the pawls and lift and pass them.

The lever b is made of two members or branches,which are sufficiently separated from each other to straddle the brace f and the end of the reach, and for stiffening it laterally.

The rod k is branched along the evener suitably ior allowing the evener-bolt w to be applied or removed between the branches.

Having thus described my invent-ion,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of lever 11, sprin gj, rod k, and a connecting-block, n, with the tongue 00 and the front running-gear ot' a wagon, substantially as described.

2. The bracket-frame a, bracef, stud h, and spring j, in combination with lever 12 and the axle and sand-board of a wagon, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the rod k, having studs 0, and the tongue .T, of the block at, having grooves '6 a, and grm'ihy paxvis q, substantially as described.

4. The block it, having top "ledges, p, grooves t 1', passages 11 and gravity-pends q, in G011]- bination with rod It: and tongue 00, substantially as described.

u. The levers I) and tongue m, in eoinbinw tion with the rod 7c, pivoted at Z to the upper end ofthe ]eve1,extending' beyond the part m IO and looking to the block 01/, as shown and described.

JOHN J. THOMAS. \Vitnesses:

G. M. FoRBEs, O. I FARNSWORTII. 

